The most likely explanations for a company like Google using whiteboard questions:
- These interviews are easy to give for someone without good interviewing skills, which is basically everyone.
- These interviews are relatively easy to score.
- Google acquires superstars through acquisition. If you need some competent rank-and-file (i.e. a "pool") to support the superstars, whiteboarding is maybe an okay way to weed out people who definitely won't rise to the occasion.
It's a little insulting, but their pay scale probably balances that out.
- These interviews are easy to give for someone without good interviewing skills, which is basically everyone.
- These interviews are relatively easy to score.
- Google acquires superstars through acquisition. If you need some competent rank-and-file (i.e. a "pool") to support the superstars, whiteboarding is maybe an okay way to weed out people who definitely won't rise to the occasion.
It's a little insulting, but their pay scale probably balances that out.